Resistance strain gage



Jan. 5, 1960 F. F. HlNEs RESISTANCE STRAIN GAGE Filed Feb. 16. 1956 Temperaurc Increase INVEN TOR.

. v FRANK F. H/NES A TTORNE" United States Patent() RESISTANCE STRAIN GAGE Frank F.Y Hines, Arlington, Mass., assignor to Baldwin- Lima-Hamilton Corporation, a corporation of Pennsylvama Application February 16, 1956, Serial No. 565,843

8 Claims. (Cl. 338-3) :This invention relates to gages for the measurement of characteristics such, for example, as strain, movement, etc. .and is of the type employing a filament whose electrical resistance changes in response to strain of the filament.

. It'has long been known that in many measuring instrumentsthe response to an applied condition to be measured varies with the temperature-at which the condition is applied. In some cases such variation may correspond to an increasein response with increase of temperature whereas Iin others there may be a decrease in response with increase of temperature. The instrument designer would like to be able to predetermine the relationship of response vs. temperature at which the condition is applied. In the eld of electrical resistance strain gage measurements the responseof such a strain gage to a given strain (such as $5000 per inch of length) applied tozit normally varies with temperature and it is common'to say. its gage factor varies with temperature. Also, ifa resistance type strain gage is mounted upon an elastic load responsive member (such as a cantilever beam oi:r a column made of steel, for example) the response of [the strain gage to a load or force'applied to the member will in general vary with the temperature of the memberas a result of variation of the modulus of elastilcityA of themember with temperature, and this effect may ior mayk not be combined with the aforementioned gage -factor variation with temperature. These two tempe'rature-dependent phenomena are independent of any change in resistance of the strain gage resulting from the thermal coeicient of electrical resistance of the strain sensitive element or elements of which it is comprised. It has heretofore been considered that the desi'refdlpredetermination of relationship of response versus temperature in the resistance strain gage measurement field had to be dealt with as a condition outside the capabilities of the present art gage element, and accordingly it'has been the practice to apply a temperaturesens'itive resistor as a measuring bridge correction by inserting the resistor in the power supply circuit 'of the bridge.This had serious limitations which have been enduredv for many years.

.In my present invention I provide novel means to extend .the capabilities of the-resistance element strain gage so that the gage itself can be madel to predetermine the relationship referred to above and hence I do not have to limitmyfcorrecting means to the circuitry external of thegage itself. This means that I have not only eiected a lsimplification in the application of the gage to many problems of measurement but also that I can handle cases where a plurality lof gages are involved in a single measurementythe temperatures differing among them and each gagewill automatically perform the desired predetermining function independent of the others.

As'fone specific illustration of the application of my invention there has ever been present the difficulty that in nearly all elastic materials the rigidity (or Youngs modulus of elasticity, for example) varies with temperature to an appreciable extent. Fory instance, it is wellv known in ther Weighing scale art that precise weighing cannot result from a spring scale unless great pains are taken to minimize or correct for this effect. In the iield of strain gage weighing it is necessary to deal in reality with a spring scale and the strain gage measures the strain of the spring in response to the applied load. It is in the compensation against the modulus change with temperature in such iield that my invention tinds an important specific application which it is convenient to employ in explaining its theory and operation. It is an object of my invention to provide an improved gage of the resistance lament type whose response to an applied strain can be made to vary in accordance with a predetermined relationship to the temperature to which the gage is subjected when the strain is applied thereto, lwhereby a varity of compensating or correcting functions may be fullled.

vA more specic object of my invention is to provide a modulus compensated gage of the resistance filament type and thereby eliminatewthe necessity for bridge correcting means such as have heretofore been required.

l Another object is to provide a relatively simple, economical highly effective modulus compensated gage that will accurately and faithfully respond to applied loads to a specimen notwithstanding rapidly changing temperature and temperature gradients.

A further iobject is to provide an improved resistance filament type gage that is self-compensated for both temperature coetlicient of resistance and for changes in modulus.

` Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

A Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of my rimproved modulus compensated gage;

. illustrates such components connected in series; and

l Fig.-7 illustrates a gage having combined compensa-l tion for the temperature coefficient of resistance and for changes in modulus of elasticity.

The modulus of elastivity (Youngs modulus) of prac- `tically all materials changes with changes in temperature. For the commonly used metals, such as steel and anluminum, the change in elastic modulus is in the vicinity of, 2% per 100 F. change in temperature, they modulus decreasing for an increase in temperature. There are certain notable exceptions to this rule, such as Elinvar and Ni-Span-C which are especially compounded tohave a relative constant modulus of elasticity with temperature. Several Yalloys show an increase in modulus with increase of temperature. Such alloys are sometimes used separately or in combination in instruments in order to obtain instrument sensitivities that are independent of temperature.

The gage factor, or strain sensitivity, of many wires that are suitable for use in kbonded and unbonded wire strain gages is alsofa function of temperature with different alloys having different temperature effects. Forinstance, constantan wire has a relatively constant strain sensitivity over the normal operatingfrange, whereas Jellii Alloy,10001 wire, manufactured by The C O.

Y Jellilf Mfg. Corp., of Southport,'C onn.,`has a strain'sensitivity that decreases with increasing temperature byy Patented Jan. 5, 1960 Stamford, Conn.; Iso-Elastic', manufactured by John` Chatillon & -S'on's`, New York, and '#479 Platinum Alloy, manufacturedby Sigmund CohnfCorpg Mt. Ver-V non, New York'. Thus-a-*straingage m-ade of constanten wire` will measure approximately the true strain independent of temperature' butV if cemented' to a specimeny that islrsubjsectedto constant loading conditions will showy an increase inY response with an' increase in temperature because of the change in modulus of the specimen material. As'opposed' to this the "1'0001 Alloy gage will showv a decrease in Yresponsey with increasingptemperature because its f strain sensitivity decreases moreK than the decrease in modulus ,of elasticity of the specimen material? as; ar4 result of a given temperature increase. ThisY is demonstrated graphically in-Fig. 1. The curvesy of Fig. 1 v

ared produced by eementing the gage '1, havingy an electrical output inl response t'o appliedY strain, to af load member such, for example, as a metal bending beam 2 loaded byra weight 3. The gage output is then determinedb'yappl-ying and removing the weight 3 at different temperatures which results in the temperature-output curves` of: Fig: 1'. If gage 1r is a resistance wireV strain gage' made ofi' constantan'wire the output curve 18 is obtained and if made ofV 1000 Alloywire the ouput curve 19 is obtained.

` It is important here to draw a distinction betweenstrain due to the coefiicient of thermal expansion of a member such as 2in Fig. 2 and a strain due toan applied ladS'which is conveniently thought of as being applied atta given temperature. The two phenomena are entirely unrelated but easily confused, since the same strain gage' 1, Fig; 2, actually sees them both. The earlier type of^ compensated strain gage, as `in Ruge Patent No. 2,-Y 350,972, can be made insensitive to the` thermal expansion strain of beam 2, but that would not prevent its having a ,response to applied` load` such asthe upper curve of Fig. l vif the gagey isi made of constanten wire. My present invention is concerned with this latter strain phenomenon as distinguished' from theV expansion strains associated with temperature change'. AWhere 1 refer to an applied strain, or to applied stress I means a strain or, stress such Vas that resulting from a` load or force applied' to a structure. i

r By'including in a strain gage4, Fig. 3, a combination of materialsjsuch lasV constanten wire 5 and 1000 Alloy4 wire 6, av strain gage canbey so constructed that, by choosing a suitable proportion of constantan to 1000 lloy wire, it has a change in strain' sensitivity versus temperature of any predetermined value betweenthe two extremes providedA by the characteristics of each of the wires alone. By choosing the proper proportion between the two wires a strain'. gage can be constructed that has a sensitivity change versus temperaturev that is equal to the change in modulus with temperature of a givenjmaterial of whichthe specimen is formed and to which the gageV isY bonded, or attached;y Such a modulus' compensated. strain gage will therefore measure'therstress or the applied load independent of the temperature of the vmemberl A modulus compensated `strain gage is jgiarticularlyl useful where the gagey is to be used notV fory the measurement of strain itself4 butl where the output is to be used as an indication of pressure, load, torque, orj some other applied physicalphenomenon.

i Theco'nstruction off a'modulus compensated gage is not limited' to the two alloysmentioned. However, cons'tantan Wireis particularlyjeiective as'it has a strain sensitivity 'that is. sensibly constant over' the range of minus 50 to plus" 300 degrees F. and 1000, Alloy; wire Vhas a' strain sensitivity that decreases; over this temperaturerrange. Other alloys also show more o1: lesschange iirstrain sensitivity with temperature. z

Y Most measuring devices'utilizing strain gages, such as load andl pressure cells, utilize four strain gages that are connected in the lform of a Wheatstone bridge. To make the output of such a bridge in response to an applied condition independent of temperature it is not necessary to make each individual strain gage modulus compensated. For example, modulus compensation of the bridge can be performed by constructing two gages 7 of one wire and two gages 8 of another wire, connecting them Vinto a bridge as shown in Fig.' 4, and adding trim'- ming resistors 9, 9',y 9", 9 to obtain therdesired result. Gages 7 and 8 would be made of strain-sensitive materials such that their electrical responses toV an. applied strain arev variable by dierent amounts for a given variation of temperature of the member or members to which they are attached. Preferably, the strains applied to gages 7 and 8 are opposite in algebraic sign; for example, in a cantilever beam subject to bending, gages 7 and 8 are preferably mounted on oppositesides so thatr one is subjected-to tension strain while the other'undergoes compression when a load'is applied to the beam. In the case of a column subject to axial load, gage 7 may be axially extending while gage 8 may be transverse to the` axisl Any'two adjacent bridge arms may be made up of such gages while the remaining two arms maybe made up of tixed yresistors or of additional active gages, as shown in Fig. 4. The trimming resistors 9, 9', etc., serve the double function of balancing the bridge and providing' the means to adjust within' limits the degree of modulus compensationy provided by the several strain gages 'l and 8. This feature is particularly valuable where a very line accuracy of modulus compensation is required sincek the trimming of resistors are external of the gages and may be adjusted after theA transducer is gaged and can be tested at various operating temperatures.

j The two wires need not be combined into a single strain gagebutmay be constructed in a form ofv independent strain gages `10 and 11, Figs. 5 and 6, and then connected nate) the effect of temperature on modulus of elasticity of" a member on which an applied strain is to be measured,` it is not to be assumed that the usefulness of my invention islimited tosuch an application. Broadly, my

invention provides Vthe means to make the overall responseV ofoa strain gage to an applied strainvary in a predef termined manner' with the temperaturel at which the strain` i's applied. As an example, consider the case Where we Wish to measure (rather than compensate for) the'r'vari'- ation in Youngs modulus of a specimen by my improved;

v gage. In this case, I choose to predetermine the response of my gage sothat its variation with temperature at' which a given strain isapplied is substantially Vzero. Then the observations I make willV yield directlyA the desired result; viz., the thermal rcoeiiicient, of modulus for the' material in question. Y Y

, By combining the method of modulus compensation described hereinV with Vthe temperature compensatingl method ofl Patent No. 2,350,922 for a self-,temperature compensated gage it is possible to compensate for boththe effect ofitemperature on zero andron modulus:- By ftem' perature effecten pzero 1 mean the effect of temperature inthe absence of-applied strain as I have dened the term.

' The methodl of compensating the zero ofv a straingage for combiningthem ,in the proper proportions to elect aY a Ik a fm' cancellation of temperature response at zero applied strain. A wire strain gage having combined temperature and modulus compensation can be made of either two, three, `or` more selected wires as indicated in Fig. 7. The portion of the gage made of wire 12 has a negative sensitivity or gage factor temperature coefcient such as is given by' 1000 Alloy. Portions 13 and 14 are made of selected constantan wires, both of which have similar temperature coefficients of sensitivity but different temperature coefficients of resistance from each other. Byadjusting the proportions of the resistance of 12 to 13 plu's14 the change in modulus with temperature is compensated for. Byy adjusting the proportions of wires 13 to 14 it is possible to compensate for the change in zero reading of the gage versus temperature. While it is of course possible that one might be able to find two wires 5, 6 of Fig. 3 which possess the characteristics necessary to produce compensation for both zero and modulus, a more practical method is to choose wires 13 and 14 so that one has a relatively high negative and the other a relatively high positive coeticient of resistance and combining them sro that they cancel the temperature I coeiicient of Wire 12. AIf wire 12 happens to have either a high negative coeicient of resistance or a high positive coeflicient of resistance then wires 13 and 14 might both have coefiicients of resistance of the same sign but of different magnitudes, the coeicient of both being opposite to that of wire 12. Also, either of the two wires 13 or 14 could 'be a wire having extremely high temperature coecient of resistance, such as nickel or copper, and thus be required in an amount small enough to have a negligible effect upon the strain sensitivity of the overall gage.

I have shown the gage wires in Figs. 3 to 7 as being of the bonded type which, as is well known, employs an insulating sheet 15, such as paper, upon which the wires are bonded throughout their effective length by any usual cement indicated by the speckled cement areas 16 although the principles of my invention are broadly applicable to unbonded resistance filament gages in certain situations.

The bonded wire type of strain gage need not be fastened directly to the member on which strain is to be measured but may be bonded to an auxiliary member as illustrated in United States Patent No. 2,316,975, Fig. 1, in which gages bonded to a U-shaped frame measure the strain or movement between points 6l and 62 of piece 66. The bonded gage may also be used to measure the movement between two separate members as illustrated` in Fig. 4 of the same United States patent. The same considerations apply to the unbonded wire resistance strain gage.

Bonded wire strain gages of the combined modulus and temperature compensated type and also of the modulus compensated type only, can be useful in places where rapid temperature changes take place or where a temperature gradient exists. An individual gage compensated for the eect of temperature on both zero and modulus and a bridge formed of such individually compensated gages will show less error due to temperature changes than a strain gage or bridge Whose compensation is located remotely or at some distance from the gage or gages. When measuring load, pressure, or torque in terms of strain it is nearly always desirable to have such measurements independent of temperature. Heretofore, to obtain such compensation, it has been necessary to use a temperature sensitive modulus compensating resistor which undergoes a predetermined change in resistance in response to temperature. This resistor was placed in series with the strain gage bridge power supply to obtain such compensation. The use of my modulus compensated strain gages not only achieves the same result but also allows either larger bridge output voltages or greater safety margins by eliminating the 6 outputrloss due Jto the'modulus compensating resistor presently used. A

My modulus compensated strain gage goes much further than this, however, since it can fully perform the modulus compensating function in a single isolated strain gage. VOr if several such gages are connected into a measuring circuit, each one will accurately perform the modulus compensation for itself, regardless of what the other gages may be doing at the time. This is of particular importance in such applications as wind tunnel sting balances where severe and often rapidly changing temperature gradients give rise to marked temperature differences at points where the several gages are connected into a single measuring circuit. The present art does not accomplish such result.

While I have throughout for simplicity referred to the modulus compensation of my gage, it is to be understood that the principle of my invention is not limited to modulus compensation alone. In fact, my invention is useful vwherever it is necessary or desirable to make the response of a straingage to an applied strain vary in a predetermined manner with the temperature at which the (strain is applied.r For example, I may deliberately choose tomake the gage sensitivity to a given applied strain substantially-independent of temperature so that I can use it to measure the thermal coefficient of the modulus of elasticity of various materials.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical resistance strain gage adapted to be attached to a body subject to strain for measuring a strain applied to the gage from the body at a given temperature, comprising two electrical conducting elements electrically connected together and each of which has strain-sensitivity in that its electrical resistance varies in accordance with its strain, each of said elements being simultaneously subject to said applied strain which is to be measured and to the temperature of the location at which such strain is to be measured, said elements being of materials whose strain sensitivity characteristics are different from each other in that their electrical resistance responses to said applied strain are variable by diiferent amounts upon a variation of said given temperature, the electrical resistances of said elements bearing a predetermined ratio to each other, so as to provide an overall change in electrical resistance in response to said applied strain which response varies in a predetermined manner when said given temperature is varied and which response is independent of the overall change in electrical resistance resulting from the thermal coefficients of electrical resistance of said elements.

2. The combination set forth in claim l further characterized in that one of said elements has, upon an increase of its temperature, a decrease in its change in electrical resistance in response to the given applied strain.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 further charlacterized in that one element has, upon an increase of temperature, an increase in its change in electrical resistance in response to the given applied strain.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that both of said elements are combined into a unitary structure so that when applied to `a specimen whose modulus of elasticity varies with temperature at a location where the applied strain is to be measured the characteristics of said elements cause said predetermined variation of strain response with temperature to be such that the response of the gage is proportional to the product of the strain and the modulus of elasticity of the member at said location independent of the temperature.

-1 5?.. .A-n electricalresistance: strain` gage adapted to be.``

same vstrain whichY is to be measured. on the specimen andv tothe temperature thereof at the location at which the strain is to be measured and eachV ofwhich: changes its` electrical resistance in response to' strain-, one ofrsaidelements having its change in electrical*4 resistance in response to a given applied strain variable in response tothe change in modulus of thespecimen material; with itstemperature aty said location; `and theelectrical resist-ances of both of said electrical conducting'elements bearing a predetermined ratio to eachother, whereby for a given strain applied to the specimen-anoverallI strainv gage response is providedI which varies; infa predeter# mined manner with the temperature of the specimen so as to effectwa compensating action: against changes of modulusof elasticityqof the.A specimenmaterial` which response isk independent of the-f overall'change in electrical resistance of said strain gage resulting, from;the.

thermalcoeicients of electrical resistance of said elcments. Y Y

6. Thev combination 'set forthinclaim 5;v further characterized in. that said two elements arepsubject toVV strains:- 25

of i opposite; algebraic Y signs fwhen` said applied: actsY and; theyv'gare'Y connected: intofadjacent arms of a WheatstonebridgecircuitaV f l Y v 7.v The,combinationf-setforthinfclai'rnk 5 further characterized in thatsaid ',tvvofelennentsy are subject to*v strains ofthe sarnei algebraic signs when said applied strain actsV and they Aare connected` intoV YoppositeI arms of a'Wheat-- stone bridge circuit.

8,. The combinationl setforth in claim 5 further'char-r acterized` iny thatA said elements areconnected intoseparate arms of a Wheat-stone bridgey circuittandf alti least one of said arms has ai xed trimming resistancey corrnected in series withl its element for thelpurpose of ad justing said overall change in electrical resistance'.`4

References Citedf il'e'oftthisf patient! ftJisirrEDf` STATES rA-TENrs'f' l*2,350,272 d oTHER, REFERENCES; d

TheStrain Gage Primer Text by C C. Perry and? R.

IQessner,y publishedby McGraw-Hill Company Inc., 1955; pages 62,-65. f y p 

